After endorsing the Union government’s Delimitation Bill, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has now announced a new population incentive scheme aimed at encouraging larger families in the state. The CM on Saturday, May 16, said that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led government would provide Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000 for the birth of a third and fourth child respectively, as part of efforts to address declining population growth.
“At one time, I worked towards family planning. But today, children themselves have become wealth. We all now need to work for the sake of children,” Chandrababu said at a public meeting in Narsannapeta in Srikakulam district, adding that children should be viewed as assets in nation-building rather than burdens.
The announcement comes amid increasing discussions in several southern states over demographic changes, ageing populations, and declining fertility rates in the context of the population-based delimitation exercise proposed by the BJP-led Union government. The proposed Delimitation Bill has sparked major friction between the Union government and southern states due to fears of reduced political representation.
The TDP is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and Andhra Pradesh is the only southern state government that has not opposed the delimitation exercise.
After the Delimitation and Constitutional Amendment Bills were defeated in Parliament, Naidu accused opposition parties of doing a “great disservice to the nation.”
In March 2026, the CM had also proposed a cash incentive of Rs 25,000 for couples having a third child while unveiling the draft population management policy in the state Assembly. The policy proposed several measures to address the declining birth rate.
The government had also proposed providing Rs 1,000 per month as nutrition assistance for the third child for five years, along with free education until the age of 18. Voicing concern over the state’s current Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 1.5, the CM said the government was taking steps to improve the TFR to 2.1, which is considered ideal for maintaining demographic balance.
Earlier, in July 2025, Chandrababu had said that the earlier approach of incentivising smaller families was no longer viable.
“In the past, we capped the PDS [Public Distribution System] rice quota at 25 kg for a family of five. But now, we may need to provide five kg of rice per person, regardless of family size. If a family has 10 members, they should get 50 kg,” he had said.
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